When women are asked what cosmetic item they simply could not be without, a typically high percentage reply that lip color is an essential item of their beauty wardrobe. With a product that is so widely used by the cosmetic-purchasing public, it is not surprising that there is a continuing demand for new and innovative product types. Among the current trends for lip products are those that remain in place for several hours without the need for reapplying, as well as those that provide a high level of gloss and shine. In many cases, it is highly desirable to combine these two characteristics. While there is a considerable variety of products of these types currently available, the commercially available products frequently suffer from certain drawbacks with a similar root problem. For example, the long-wearing products on their own can be drying and uncomfortable on the lips, with a dull finish, thereby requiring a moisturizing topcoat to be applied over them. Such topcoats, however, are difficult to formulate, since they need to be sufficiently incompatible with the base coat, which is frequently based on non-polar hydrocarbons and silicones, to prevent interference with the base coat's wear, and at the same time, are preferably transparent to give the best level of glossy appearance to the lips. Typically, however, the currently available topcoat products are opaque sticks that produce a small amount of shine. Similarly, with lip gloss products intended to provide high shine, it is difficult to achieve the desired level of transparent gloss without producing a product that is too liquid or oily. The problem in producing the perfect product lies in the difficulty of gelling the cosmetic oils that constitute the backbone of the majority of lip products. The most commonly used oils are typically polar, and achieving the desired level of viscosity and clarity is a complex matter. Although it is of course possible to gel such oils, the usual viscosifying agents employed are waxes and/or clays; the end product achieved with the use of such materials is typically either too opaque or else less viscous and more oily-feeling that would be desired. Thus there continues to be a need for a soft liquid gel-type product that does not convey an oily feeling on the lips, yet provides a significant level of transparency that will improve the gloss and shine of the final product. The present invention now provides a solution to this need.